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Ozma
Princess Ozma is a fictional character created by L. Frank Baum, author and creator of the Oz legacy. Born on August 21st, Ozma is the long-lost daughter of the long-deceased King Pastoria who ruled in the land of Oz in a small Kingdom, long before the Wizard arrived and even before the Emerald City was built. Ozma's mother was an Enchantress and Fairy Queen named Lurline who created Oz with her fairy magic many centuries ago. Ozma is also a descendent from royal blood as Lurline chose her mate Pastoria to be King and to take Oz's Throne when she departed from him and left the land of Oz forever with her band of fairy children. Even though Lurline is much like Ozma's mother, Ozma refers to Lurline as her "Fairy Godmother." Now Ozma is the rightful ruler of the Land of Oz. She made her first appearance in Baum's second Oz novel: The Marvelous Land of Oz. Ozma's and Lurline's ancestors come from of a long line fairy-race. Ozma is half mortal herself but also half fairy, even though she does not bare wings attached to her body, she can perform simple magic, and she is one of the very few individuals in Oz authorised to legally practice the magical arts whenever she wishes to do so. Physical Appearance & Style Because she was born and lives in a Fairyland, Ozma is an immortal, naturally. Baum describes Ozma as having the appearance of a young human girl no older than sixteen. She is described to be as fresh and beautiful as the due on a Spring May morning, radiating life, imagination and magic. Her large green eyes shine brightly like the sun, her lips are soft and tinted like the finest tourmaline, and her long curly hair is a dark ruddy blonde. It is stated by Baum that other than Lady Glinda, Ozma is the most beautiful female in all the world, inside and out. Also like Glinda, Princess Ozma wears no accessories or fancy jewelry to show off, for her beauty alone would shame even the most finest of all gems in existence. Ozma is alway seen dressed in formal attire, even on normal days. Wearing elegant frocks and extravagant robes of fine rich fabrics of many layers, which gracefully trail behind her as she walks. Her clothing is of silky sheer and weightless gauze or silk of either pure white or emerald-green in colour, and embroidered with precious pink and white pearls and other expensive jewels. On her head Ozma wears a golden crown with solid and polished gold bands that are decorated with emeralds and run across her forehead, with 'Oz', right at the middle center, being the focal point of her headpiece. Either side of her head is also adorned with giant blossoms, red poppies or green roses, and she always carries a magic golden sceptre that is engraved with sparkling gems such as rubies, sapphire, limestones, turquoise, topaz and glistening diamonds of all shapes and sizes. Personality Ozma is portrayed as an extremely compassionate and benevolent ruler, who never loses her temper or resorts to violence, and does not believe in destroying even her worst enemies. Despite her young age, she is wise beyond her years and rules the Land of Oz fairly and well, always consulting reliable figures such as Glinda when in doubt or need of assistance, and makes sure all of her subjects are happy, healthy and content. She even eventually invited several people from the outside world to come live in the Land of Oz and live happier lives, most notably Dorothy Gale and her dog Toto, her best friend from Kansas. The Wizard of Oz himself, Dorothy´s Aunt Em, her Uncle Henry, Betsy Bobbin, Trot, Button Bright and Cap'n Bill. Who mostly reside happily in the Emerald City in Oz and live in the Royal Palace of Oz with Ozma, where they can stay forever. She also has a Magic Picture in her chambers, which can show her scenes of what is happening from anywhere in the entire world. Lifestyle Despite being a child who is young at heart and full of excitement, Princess Ozma can be very mature and serious when it's time to work instead of play. Ozma lives in the Royal Palace of Oz in the center of the Emerald City. And is protected by her royal bodyguard, the Soldier with the Green Whiskers. She is a incredibly busy and proactive little ruler, who looks very carefully after the comfort and welfare of her people. She tries to make them all happy and, if any quarrels arise, she decides them justly. She is always ready and willing to listen to anyone who is unhappy, which is not common in Oz, or anyone who needs counsel or advice. (The Emerald City of Oz) She spends an hour each day listening to the troubles of her people, surrounded by all the important personages of Oz. ("The Cowardly Lion and the Hungry Tiger") She always breakfasts alone and spends the morning over state matters, which leaves her afternoons free to play with her chums or take a refreshing walk in her royal rose garden arm in arm with her best friend who looks up to her, Dorothy Gale. (The Royal Book of Oz) When she sits on her throne and makes laws and settles disputes, she is as dignified and demure as any queen, but in her private apartments and with old and trusted friends she is a joyous and lighthearted girl who enjoys having as much fun and play as possible. (The Patchwork Girl of Oz) History of Oz: Fairy Queens & Mortal Kings Long before the Wizard, Oscar Diggs crossed over the Deadly Desert and straight into the realm of Oz, coming from our world and arrived in the land via Hot-Air Balloon, Oz was once ruled by a very old yet kind and gentle King of human blood named Pastoria. Now it is rumored that Pastoria was also once in love with a beautiful Enchantress named Lurline, the Fairy Queen who processed great magical powers only for good and is credited for making Oz a fairy country by enchanting it and cutting it from the rest of the world centuries ago. Lurline and Pastoria came together and had a beautiful baby girl whom Lurline named "Ozma". The daughter of the two was half human and half fairy, making her immortal like Lurline even though Pastoria was not. After that Lurline left the land of Oz to continue enchanting other lands and created other realms similar to Oz. She put Pastoria on the Throne and left Ozma in his care before parting ways and disappearing forever to began new duties. Lurline has many fairy children, who are the guardian angels to the lands Lurline has enchanted. They keep the lands, such as Oz beautiful and fresh, bringing the light cool breezes to hot sunny places, and carry the pollen which can be found within the spring flowers and little buttercups. They tend to the dying plants in the lands and nurse them back to health and create the moist morning due to feed the green grass that grows. The King Pastoria lived a long and wise life and he became very, very old with wrinkled skin and a long white beard. Now, widowed and left on his own with a baby infant and without the guidance of Lurline, Pastoria was not a very powerful King and was only getting older. He lived in a rather small Kingdom, in the middle of the land. His people were happy and content as his subjects, but the land of Oz was still inhabited by two Wicked Witches of the East and West lands and who had many people from Oz enslaved. The Wicked Witch of the West had a Golden Cap and the charm of this cap allowed her to command her Winged Monkeys to make the Winkies her Slaves. And the Wicked Witch of the East used the magic of her Silver Shoes to keep the Munchkin people in bondage. The Witches were very powerful indeed, and could do as ever they pleased to anyone or thing that was unlucky to cross the Witches paths. These Witches cast many a spells upon innocent people, turning them into random house or kitchen objects such as flower pots or candle sticks. The Wicked Witches tried many, many times to overthrow Pastoria and take over all of Oz as a whole. Unfortunately Pastoria himself did not know anything about practicing the magic arts, for he depended on Queen Lurline's magic. So he could not defend himself or his people. The Witches in Oz could have easily taken over and stole the King's Throne and enslaved his subjects to their own pleasing. The only thing that stopped them from truly doing so, was the other two Good Witches of the North and South who lived with the Gillikins, Tattypoo and Lady Glinda who lived in a ruby castle in with the Quadlings of Oz. The two Good Witches used all the power and sorcery they knew to protect poor Pastoria and his people from harms way. But they were not strong enough to banish the Wicked Witches out of Oz or put an end to them and they're Wickedness all together. One random day, out of the clear blue sky, suddenly a large air-craft of sorts came descending down from the clouds up above, it slowly came to the ground and landed in the exact center of Oz. The people of Oz, Pastoria's subjects and even the Witches of Oz themselves had never seen such a peculiar envention. Inside the basket that was attached to the giant ballon was a man, he called himself Oscar Diggs, and enthusiastically introduced himself as a great Wizard and Magician. And the people of oz believed him as they saw him preform magic tricks right before they're very eyes. The people of Oz asked if the Wizard would be the ruler of the land and he agreed that he would look after Oz and someday rid the land of it's Wicked Witches if they promised to obey his every wish and demand. The people of Oz were gullible people and believed him and his promises. Thus, building the famous Emerald City in his honor and constructing the Yellow Brick Road that lead to the main entrance. Shortly after the Wizard overthrew King Pastoria, he simply disappeared from Oz for a long, long time. The only thing he left behind was his baby daughter, the fairy child, Princess Ozma who one day would get old enough to use the magic she had, that ran in her blood, to claim her place as the rightful Heir to her father's Throne. This worried the greedy Wizard as he wanted the Throne all to himself. So one late night, the Wizard snuck into the Palace of Pastoria, and snatched the baby Princess up and disappeared into the dark night. He gave the baby Ozma to a Witch near by named Mombi who lived in the North lands of Oz. Mombi was not as gifted or as powerful as the Wicked Witches in Oz, but she was still very ugly inside and very Wicked nonetheless. Mombi agreed to the Wizard's offer and favor to keep the baby hidden away from the Palace and to never let anyone know where Ozma was. Mombi, transformed Ozma to disguise her as a boy named Tip to work as her personal servant and kitchen slave for many years. From Tip to Ozma The daughter of the former King of Oz, King Pastoria, Ozma was given to the witch Mombi by The Wizard, who worried she would someday challenge his illegitimate rule as Oz's defacto dictator. Mombi transformed the infant Ozma into a boy and called him Tip (short for Tippetarius). Ozma, in the form of Tip, was raised as a boy and had no memory of ever having been a girl. As Tip, Ozma created Jack Pumpkinhead. Glinda the good witch forced Mombi to transform the boy Tip back into Ozma, who was then installed as Oz's ruler (although many realms within Oz were and remain unaware of her authority). (The Marvelous Land of Oz) When word came to Ozma that the Royal Family of the neighboring Land of Ev had been imprisoned by the Nome King, she organized a rescue party and set out to liberate them, crossing the desert on a Magic Carpet. In Evna, Dorothy Gale joined their party and they continued on to the Nome Kingdom. The Nome King offered them an opportunity to save the royal family of Ev, who had been turned into ornaments in his palace, but it was a trick and soon Ozma herself was transformed into a carved emerald grasshopper. She was rescued (along with everyone else) by Billina the hen and the entire party escaped back to Ev, having confiscated the Nome King's Magic Belt. The Ozites attended the coronation of King Evardo XV and then returned to the Land of Oz. (Ozma of Oz) When the Nome King planned to invade Oz and destroy it in revenge, Ozma discovered his plans with her Magic Picture. She was surprisingly nonchalant about the threat, refusing to either prepare for war or escape the country, but merely waiting for their inevitable enslavement. When the Scarecrow suggested a non-violent way to turn back the invaders, Ozma agreed and was able to protect her kingdom. (The Emerald City of Oz) She and Dorothy went to the Flatheads and the Skeezers to try to stop a war from breaking out between them. (Glinda of Oz) Oz Book Appearances Famous Forty *''The Marvelous Land of Oz'' (first appearance) *''Ozma of Oz'' *''Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz'' *''The Road to Oz'' *''The Emerald City of Oz'' *''Little Wizard Stories of Oz'' *''The Patchwork Girl of Oz'' *''Tik-Tok of Oz'' *''The Scarecrow of Oz'' *''Glinda of Oz'' *''The Royal Book of Oz'' *''Kabumpo in Oz'' *''The Cowardly Lion of Oz'' *''Grampa in Oz'' *''The Lost King of Oz'' *''The Hungry Tiger of Oz'' *''The Gnome King of Oz'' *''The Giant Horse of Oz'' *''Jack Pumpkinhead of Oz'' *''The Yellow Knight of Oz'' *''Pirates in Oz'' *''The Purple Prince of Oz'' *''Ojo in Oz'' *''Speedy in Oz'' *''The Wishing Horse of Oz'' *''Handy Mandy in Oz'' *''The Silver Princess in Oz'' *''Ozoplaning with the Wizard of Oz'' *''The Wonder City of Oz'' *''The Scalawagons of Oz'' *''Lucky Bucky in Oz'' *''The Magical Mimics in Oz'' *''The Shaggy Man of Oz'' *''The Hidden Valley of Oz'' *''Merry Go Round in Oz'' :Ozma does not appear in Captain Salt in Oz, though she is mentioned. Besides The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, it is the only installment of the Famous Forty in which she doesn't appear. The Wicked Years *Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West (Mentioned Only) *Son of a Witch (as Tip) Background Ozma's appearance and origins changed frequently as the series of Oz books progressed. In her initial appearance, she was described as a cherubic little girl with red-gold hair; however, all subsequent appearances of the Princess show her as dark-haired. John R. Neill, the illustrator of Baum's Oz series, established the characteristic look of Ozma, strongly influenced by Charles Dana Gibson's "Gibson girl" and by the beauties in the Art Nouveau poster art of Alphonse Mucha. Neill drew many pictures of Ozma between 1904, when she first appeared in The Marvelous Land of Oz, and his death in 1943, and during those years her image developed and changed. According to The Tin Woodman of Oz, Princess Ozma appears to be fourteen or fifteen years old, and thus several years older than Dorothy. The Shaggy Man of Oz (written by Jack Snow, long after Baum's death) explains that she is several hundred years old, and was one of a band of fairies who waited on Queen Lurline, who left her behind to rule Oz. As ruler of Oz, Ozma frequently encounters difficulties in trying to reign as monarch. The story featuring her the least is The Lost Princess of Oz, in which she has been enchanted, and Dorothy Gale forms a search party with the rest of the famous Oz characters, learning the uses of the Magic Belt, and using its powers to eventually free Ozma. Modern Works Wicked In Gregory Maguire's revisionist Oz novels Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West and Son of a Witch, "Ozma" is the hereditary title of the Queens of Oz. According to Nanny and other believers in Lurlinism, the Fairy Queen left her daughter Ozma to rule the country in her absence. According to Lurlinist belief, the various rulers named "Ozma" were - more or less - reincarnations of the same being; Ozma "bears herself again and again like a phoenix." By contrast, according to Elphaba's father Frexspar (and presumably other Unionists as well as the more secular citizens of Oz), the Ozmas are a hereditary dynasty of Gillikinese origin. There were, as Frex said, "three hundred years of very different Ozmas," including: * Ozma the Mendacious. A dedicated maunt (Unionist nun), she lowered rulings in a bucket from the topmost chamber in a cloister * Ozma the Warrior temporarily conquered the Glikkus and commandeered the emeralds with which to decorate the Emerald City. * Ozma the Librarian. Said to have done nothing but read genealogies for her whole life long. * Ozma the Scarcely Beloved kept pet ermines. She heavily taxed the farmers in Oz to begin construction of the Yellow Brick Road network. * Ozma the Bilious. so called because of her chronic digestive troubles. A large woman, "the size of a lake narwhal," Ozma the Bilious died of an "accident" involving rat poison, leaving her husband Pastorius to rule until their infant daughter Ozma Tippetarius reached adulthood. * Ozma Tippetarius, daughter of Ozma the Bilious. About the same age as Elphaba, she was too young to take the throne upon the death of her mother. Her father Pastorius ruled as Ozma Regent until the Ozmas were deposed by the Wizard. Ozma Tippetarius makes a cameo appearance in Son of a Witch, in the form of Tip. James Wallace Trilogy In Magician of Oz (2009), by James C. Wallace II, Princess Ozma plays a central role, both at Glinda's Red Brick Palace where she first meets Jamie Diggs, the great grandson of O. Z. Diggs, and again at her own palace in Emerald City, where she present Dorothy with a "Gift of Friendship" from Jamie Diggs, who she informs is to become her new Royal Magician once O.Z. Diggs retires. In Shadow Demon of Oz (2010), by James C. Wallace II, Princess Ozma once more joins in the adventure when she accompanies Jamie Diggs, his best frined Buddy and Dorothy in a balloon journey to the Winkie River and the Dark Red Wooden Covered Bridge to investigate the origins of the Shadow Demon. She also sends Toto and Bungle the Glass Cat to Mount Munch in order to assist Jamie Diggs and his best friend, Buddy as they battle the Shadow Demon. In Family of Oz (2011), by James C. Wallace II, Princess Ozma plays a central role once more in reuniting the members of the Diggs family who have been transported to Oz by means of a Magic Box at a magic convention in Columbus, Ohio. She also joins the family as they travel by means of a magic hovercraft at the banks of the Munchkin River to watch Jamie Diggs, the Cowardly Lion, the Queen of the Field Mice and her subjects, along with the Playing Card Army of Jamie Diggs as they battle Cobbler the Dog, a mechanical pet built by H.M. Wogglebug, T.E., who has been possessed by the spirit of the Wicked Witch of the East. Princess Ozma declares Cobbler the Dog the Unwilling Villain. In addition, Princess Ozma is greeted by Queen Lurline, who returns from the heavens above, to declare her rule, blessed by Love. Film The Patchwork Girl of Oz In a 1914 film created by Baum's film company, The Patchwork Girl of Oz, Ozma, played by Jessie May Walsh, appears briefly to preside over Ojo's trial. Ozma's throne is guarded by the Cowardly Lion and the Hungry Tiger, and she consults with the Wizard of Oz before making her decision to allow Dr. Pipt to try his magic. Shirley Temple Shirley Temple portrayed her in a 1960 television production, in which she was merely disguised as Tip (in fact, not too different from Baum's 1905 musical, The Woggle-Bug), only with her memory wiped, after already serving as Oz's ruler for many years. The Wonderful Land of Oz She appears briefly in Barry Mahon's The Wonderful Land of Oz, portrayed by Joy Webb. Christopher Passi cameoed as Ozma after portraying Tip for the duration of a filmed stage version of The Marvelous Land of Oz by Thomas W. Olson, Gary Briggle, and Richard Dworsky in 1981 by The Children's Theatre Company and School of Minneapolis. Return to Oz 1985 In the Disney 1985 cult classic Return to Oz, Ozma is the rightful ruler of Oz. It is revealed that her father was the king of Oz before the Wizard came, and Mombi made Ozma her slave. When the Nome King took over Oz and promised Mombi the heads of 30 women (to switch heads with) if she kept her a secret, Mombi imprisoned her within the mirror. Somehow, Ozma was able to appear outside Oz and talk to Dorothy at Dr. Worley's clinic; after discovering that some of his patients have been damaged by his machines and locked in the cellar, she rescued Dorothy from the clinic, but Nurse Wilson discovered them and chased after them, resulting in both of them falling into the river. Ozma vanished, and seemingly drowned; presumably she returned to her position in Oz, which was inside the mirror. She showed Dorothy the way out of Mombi's mirror room when Dorothy was taking Powder of Life from Mombi's cabinet containing her original head, and Mombi was trying to stop her. After the Nome King was destroyed and Oz restored to its original state, Dorothy got Ozma out of the mirror, and she took her position as ruler of Oz. She used the Ruby Slippers to send Dorothy back to Kansas, saying she would look in on her from time to time and take her back to Oz if she wishes to return. Afterward, Dorothy saw Ozma in the mirror, indicating that Oz was not a dream (as both movies initially implied). (Return to Oz) Ozu no Mahotsukai In Ozu no Mahotsukai, Ozma's transformation into Tip was so thorough that, despite bearing almost no physical resemblance whatever to Tip, she is a tomboy throughout the entirety of the series. The Oz Kids In The Oz Kids, Andrea (Shay Astar), Glinda's ambivalent daughter, bases her fashion, but little else, on Ozma, who never appeared in the series. Adventures of the Emerald City: Princess Ozma Ozma also appears in the Russian animated Adventures of the Emerald City: Princess Ozma (2000) based on The Marvelous Land of Oz. Dorothy meets Ozma of Oz She also appears in the 1987 Canadian Dorothy Meets Ozma of Oz based on Ozma of Oz and in a 2005 direct to video CGI version of The Patchwork Girl of Oz where she is voiced by Lisa Rosenstock. Lost in Oz In Lost in Oz, an unaired 2002 pilot for a WB drama show, Ozma appeared as a young, helpless girl kept eternally young by the Wicked Witch of the West. The main characters of that show rescued her and returned her to the good witch. However, throughout the show, she does not have any lines. Tin Man In the Oz revisionist mini series Tin Man, DG's childhood doll resembles Ozma. Oz the Great and Powerful Ozma does not appear and is never mentioned in the 2013 film Oz the Great and Powerful; it is unclear if she even exists in this continuity. However, Glinda possesses some traits of Ozma, such as being the daughter of the deceased king overthrown by the Wicked Witches, and her crown is similar to Ozma's headwear. Credits *''The Patchwork Girl of Oz'' (1914): Jessie May Walsh *''The Shirley Temple Show'' (1960): Shirley Temple *''The Wonderful Land of Oz: Joy Webb *Return to Oz'' (1985): Emma Ridley Trivia *One of Baum's granddaughters was named Frances Ozma Baum (later Mantele), to whom Baum dedicated The Lost Princess of Oz. She was usually known by her middle name, though she also developed the nickname "Scraps" in childhood. *Several fans have pointed out similarities in the appearance of Princess Leia from the "Star Wars" films to Ozma; in particular Leia's draped white costume and symmetrical hair design reminiscent of the flowers that typically adorn Ozma's crown. In one scene in Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones, Leia's mother Padme wears her hair in buns, along with an off the shoulders gown reminiscent of Neill's illustrations of Ozma. Category:Oz Book Characters Category:Oz Movie Characters Category:Princesses Category:Fairies Category:Rulers in Oz Category:Protagonists